Page 45 of A Highland Bride Taken
“Tell me whenever ye feel hungry. I was only upset because I never want to lose ye both. Do ye understand?”
She felt them nod against her shoulders.
“Alright, lads. Time to return home. I believe the cook has some apple pie waiting for us at home.”
At the promise of a tasty snack, they brightened up.
Mabel sent up a silent thanks to the skies that the boys were safe. She would have never been able to forgive herself if they had come to any harm under her watch.
18
When Mabel returned with the boys that evening, Campbell was waiting for them outside the castle doors. Even before she opened her mouth to tell him anything, he knew that something was wrong.
“Uncle Campbell!” they greeted, rushing to hug him.
He held them even though his eyes were on his wife.
Eventually, his gaze strayed to the excited boys. They looked like they had had a good day and wanted to discuss it, but he wanted to understand why she looked as though she had done something wrong.
There was something fragile about her, as if she were trying her best to hold herself together, and any slight disturbance would disrupt that tight restraint. So he sent the boys to the kitchen, and they were only too happy to go when they heard that the cook had just made a new batch of fresh apple pies.
He waited till the boys were out of earshot before approaching her.
“What happened, lass?” he asked, tilting her face up so he could look into her eyes. His concern grew when he caught the shimmer of tears. “Did ye encounter any danger on yer way back? Did anything happen to yer sister or parents?”
“I am so sorry, Me Laird,” she choked out. “I am so sorry.”
She kept repeating those words until she was sobbing. Loud, heart-wrenching sounds that tugged at his heart.
He was at a loss for what to do other than to hold her while she cried her eyes out. He cradled her to his chest, whispering softly until she quieted.
When she calmed down enough, she told him how very close she had come to losing the boys today.
“It is all me fault,” she sniffed, hanging her head. “I should never have taken them outside. At the very least, I should have taken a guard with me when we left, so someone would be watching them. Ye were right to suggest so. I believed foolishly that I could protect them, and I nearly lost them in the process. I would understand if ye dinnae want me anywhere close to them again.”
“Lass,” he murmured, waiting until she lifted swollen eyes to his. “‘Tis nae any more yer fault than it is mine. We cannae afford to keep them indoors forever, nay matter our fear. Perhaps I mighthave sent a guard, but there is nay guarantee he wouldnae have been distracted as well. The best we can do is to learn from this event and tighten security. Dinnae blame yerself so much. As for keeping ye away from the lads, I would have better luck squeezing water out of stone. Ye are the only maither they have now; ye cannae abandon yer responsibilities simply because ye are afraid.”
“Thank ye,” she said, blinking back tears, visibly overwhelmed with relief that he was not blaming her.
He was brimming with anger that someone had tried to take the boys again, but he didn’t want her feeling upset, which would serve no great purpose for him or her.
He could imagine how frightened she must have been, for she loved them more than she loved herself. So he didn’t want to frighten her any further. Thankfully, the boys didn’t seem hurt or scared in any way.
“I think that is enough crying,” he said gently, offering her his arm to help her rise from the settee. “I believe ‘tis better that ye retire above stairs. ‘Tis true ye have been through a lot today.”
“Aye, Me Laird,” she croaked.
He watched her leave, and the second she had, he allowed the rage that had been simmering inside him to rise to the surface.
Campbell might have been gentle while he tended to a distraught Mabel, but inside, he was angry that anyone in the Highlands would attempt to abduct his nephews.
By morning, he set out early to investigate, having gotten the inn’s location from Mabel the previous night, asking if anyone had seen an unfamiliar face in town. He still hadn’t figured out who wanted the twins because if they wanted them dead, they could have just poisoned them.
The situation frustrated him to no end, but he didn’t want to give up until he had an answer.
By noon, he came to the conclusion that his quest was fruitless, since no one admitted to seeing a fair-haired woman walking with little boys.
Not that he could blame anyone. Not many people knew about the bairns, and they would have been more concerned with their business than watching a stranger who wasn’t one of their customers.
